Best Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering colleges in California

Best Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering colleges in California for 2026

Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Image by @kaiii_e

Stanford’s Aeronautics and Astronautics program is home to one of the best aerospace programs in the nation that prepares students to enter the field of aerospace with the skills they need to reach the stars. This school garners international acclaim and has developed more than 5 Guggenheim Medal recipients and has multiple current members of the National Academy of Engineering. Students at Stanford can choose specific tracks within the suite of aerospace engineering including Autonomous Systems and Controls, Future Aircraft Design, and Multidisciplinary Computational Aerosciences. It’s no wonder Stanford ranks top of our list among the best aerospace engineering schools.

University of Southern California offers 7 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2024, 393 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students graduated with students earning 216 Master's degrees, 154 Bachelor's degrees, 21 Doctoral degrees, and 2 Certificates.

University of California-Davis offers 4 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a small suburb. In 2024, 276 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students graduated with students earning 218 Bachelor's degrees, 45 Master's degrees, and 13 Doctoral degrees.

University of California-Berkeley offers 4 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2024, 470 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students graduated with students earning 236 Bachelor's degrees, 200 Master's degrees, and 34 Doctoral degrees.

Image by @with_jiyoung

University of California-Los Angeles offers 6 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2024, 419 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students graduated with students earning 247 Bachelor's degrees, 136 Master's degrees, and 36 Doctoral degrees.

University of California-San Diego offers 9 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2024, 411 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students graduated with students earning 268 Bachelor's degrees, 115 Master's degrees, and 28 Doctoral degrees.

University of California-Irvine offers 4 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2024, 358 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students graduated with students earning 281 Bachelor's degrees, 62 Master's degrees, and 15 Doctoral degrees.

Image by @pinzhen13

California Institute of Technology offers 9 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2024, 74 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students graduated with students earning 38 Bachelor's degrees, 22 Master's degrees, and 14 Doctoral degrees.

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo offers 5 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a small suburb. In 2024, 428 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students graduated with students earning 395 Bachelor's degrees, and 33 Master's degrees.

Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University offers 7 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree programs. It's a medium sized, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2024, 58 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students graduated with students earning 39 Bachelor's degrees, 18 Master's degrees, and 1 Doctoral degree.

List of all Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering colleges in California

School Average Tuition Student Teacher Ratio Enrolled Students
Stanford University Logo Stanford University Stanford, CA
5/5
12 : 1 18,625
University of Southern California Logo University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
5/5
21 : 1 46,566
University of California-Berkeley Logo University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA
4/5
23 : 1 45,882
University of California-Davis Logo University of California-Davis Davis, CA
4/5
23 : 1 40,065
University of California-Irvine Logo University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA
3/5
26 : 1 37,297